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Story: Freight and warehousing

Pātaka

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Pātaka

Pātaka (storehouses) were used to keep preserved food – fish, birds, kao (a kūmara preparation) – or seed safe from kiore (Pacific rats) in winter. Pātaka were entered through a trapdoor in the floor; the small opening at the front was a window.

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Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: PUBL-0014-30

by George French Angas

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Matthew Wright and Megan Cook, Freight and warehousing – Early Māori freight and storage, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/23447/pataka (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Matthew Wright and Megan Cook, published 4 March 2010.